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Illusions and RealityChapter 1: The Ring's Opening
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"Oyasumi-nasai!" Kinomoto Sakura called to her brother, Touya, and his best friend Yukito. She wished she could say goodnight to her father but he was working late.
"Oyasumi!" Yukito replied kindly. Sakura used to be in love with Yukito but he had rejected her and now she was dating her number one person, Li Syaoran.
Without wanting to hear the daily 'kaijuu' from her brother, Sakura ran up the stairs and through the hall. Expecting to see Kero on the floor playing video games, she opened her door and exclaimed: "Kero-chan, I want to go to sleep now." But to her surprise, Kero was not in front of the TV but sitting on the bed concentrating on something. This was extremely out of the norm. His eyes were closed and he was twitching slightly; the sign that he was trying to block out all sound.
Sakura decided to let him think and went over to her closet to get changed. She took her time to do so but when she returned, he still hadn't moved. She sighed and went to sit on the bed beside him. He looked so cute when he was thinking hard. His little eyebrows were in a minor curve and his nose was slightly scrunched up. She accidentally let out a giggle and Kero blinked conscious, looking up at Sakura.
"Ah! Sakura! I didn't even hear you come in." Kero squeaked
"Konbanwa Kero-chan."
"Did you want to go to bed now?"
"Please"
Kero nodded and flew towards the door. Pausing for a second, he turned around and looked at his mistress.
"Sakura, how much longer is it until your next school year?"
"One month… why?"
"Oh nothing, I'm going downstairs to eat."
"Ok, there's dinner on the table for you."
"Oyasumi Sakura"
"Oyasumi-nasai Kero-chan"
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Sakura smiled as she and her brother walked down sakura lane. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom and were as beautiful as ever. The sight was so breathtaking that Sakura couldn't find words to describe the scene. Every single petal looked perfect and luscious. Sakura just wanted to nibble on one to see what it tasted like but not one blossom fell from the safety of its limb.
As the two of them reached the end of the lane they spotted a tree that was completely bare of signs of life. There was not a single leaf or bud anywhere on the cold and miserable sakura tree.
"That's so sad…" Sakura sniffed. She felt sorry for the lonely tree.
"Use the Flower card" Touya suggested and Sakura nodded in agreement.
"O Key which hides the power of the stars, reveal thy true form before me. I, Sakura, command thee under contract. Release! Flower!"
The dancing form of the beautiful Flower appeared before the siblings and smiled joyfully. She bounced over to the dead tree and began spinning gracefully around it. Sakura could feel her star magic emitting from the dancing card and before she knew it, the tree's shrunken form began to lift and she started seeing colour in the bark. Sakura smiled merrily as small leaves began sprouting from the branches. Beautiful bright green leaves that made Sakura convinced that this tree would be the most beautiful of all. Sakura looked up at her brother who was also mesmerized by the immense change. But then he frowned in confusion. Something was wrong. Sakura turned back to the tree and saw the problem immediately. The sakura blossoms were budding but there was something different about them. Instead of the pretty cherry pink or even the ashen white, these buds were a deep pitch black. The colour scared her and an uncomfortable feeling rushed over her.
Then they started to blossom. Sakura's heart jumped into her throat as the fear started to overwhelm her. She didn't want them to blossom. She didn't want them to grow any larger. She wanted the tree to stop this instant.
"Flower! Stop!" Sakura yelled but the woman didn't yield from her dancing. Then she saw it. Flower's normally emerald green eyes were now an even darker black than the blossoms she grew. The dancing continued and so did the flowering.
Sakura could only watch. Now, the black sakura blossoms were in full bloom and an evil essence emitted from each and every one of them. Sakura could see the evil spreading out and into the flowers of the other sakura trees. Before her eyes, Sakura saw the pink of the sakura blossoms become dull, and then black. It spread from tree to tree until all of the brightness of spring had been sucked into darkness. Sakura looked up to Touya but was surprised to see that he had disappeared. Sakura cried out. She didn't want to be alone in this empty place. She turned to Flower. She was her last support, but the card looked different. Her fluffy pink dress was wilting and turning brown while her cute blonde coned hair had been released and was now a grey colour. Suddenly, the young woman burst into flames and fell to the ground. It was mere seconds before her body, as well as the flames, disappeared. Tears were now streaming down Sakura's face. She looked back up at the sakura trees as they too began to wither and each petal burst into flames. Soon the whole lane was a giant inferno and the once beautiful trees were mere ashes. Now she was alone. The stores and street had disappeared and the only things that remained in the black were she and that blasted tree. She felt so vulnerable as the evil twisted itself around her trembling body.
"Things are…" Sakura heard from her own lips but was interrupted by a distant sound.
Sakura's eyes snapped open. She was sweating hard but her body was ice cold. Realising that it was only a dream, Sakura began to calm down and breath at her normal rate.
"I wonder what that dream meant…" Sakura mumbled aloud.
Before she could put much time into thinking about it, something caught her attention. She could hear voices coming from downstairs. Checking her clock, she noticed it was twelve-o-clock.
"Kero-chan?" she voiced and looked through the darkness of her room. She couldn't hear his snoring so concluded that he was still downstairs. She crawled out of bed and crept into the hallway. As she sneaked down the stairs, she began to distinguish the voices.
"No!" Touya shouted
"Sakura is a sorceress! The Mistress of the Cards! Not a witch." Yue stated
"Yes!"
"She needs a way to increase her magic ability." Kero responded
"No!"
"There's other ways," Yue argued
"Yes!"
"Making flowers for the classroom and fixing holes in the cement? C'mon, Sakura needs better than that!" Kero continued
"No! I mean…"
"But Umitenshi? Don't you think that will be strange for her?" Yue questioned
"Yeah!"
"Yes, but she will get used to It." Kero responded
"Haven't you two heard a word I've said? Sakura is not going to any faraway school!" Touya yelled.
Kero looked like he was going to respond but all of a sudden noticed something. Both he and Yue looked over and there, standing in the doorway of the kitchen, was Kinomoto Sakura.
"Sakura" Yue mumbled
"What? Sakura?" Touya asked and also turned to where Sakura was standing.
"Ahh… Sakura! We weren't talking about you! We were just… you see… what are you doing up?" Kero stammered
"You guys woke me." Sakura answered. She would have just asked then to keep it down but she wanted to know what was going on.
"Don't you have school tomorrow? Don't worry about us! You can go up to bed!"
"What were you all talking about?"
"What? Oh, don't worry! We always get up in the middle of the night and talk about you! It's our way of getting along!" Kero lied and flew over to Touya, patting him on the shoulder. Touya glared at him at the corner of his eye, but didn't say anything.
Sakura sighed. She knew she wasn't going to get anything out of him tonight. And besides, she was tired. She said a quick goodnight and walked back up the stairs to her room. Finally, after they heard Sakura's bedroom door close, Touya looked at Kero suspiciously.
"How often do you lie to Sakura?" Touya questioned
"Why?" Kero asked
"Sakura would never have listened to me if I had told her nothing was going on."
"Yup!" Kero beamed. "I practice a lot!"
Yue sighed. "That's not a good thing, Keroberus"
Kero face faulted.
*~*~*~*~*
"Todaima!" Sakura announced as she walked in through the door. It was three days after Sakura heard the argument downstairs but she hadn't forgotten about it. Kero was at the door to greet her.
"Sakura!" he squealed, "I want to…"
Syaoran walked in behind Sakura.
"You" Kero growled
"Be nice Kero-chan. I invited Syaoran over for dinner." Sakura ordered, then smiled gently towards her boyfriend.
"But…but…"
"What would you like for dinner?" Sakura asked Syaoran
"But…"
Syaoran smiled. "Anything would be fine."
"Ok… c'mon. We can put your stuff in my room." Sakura suggested
"But…matte!" (wait) Kero squeaked
Sakura and Syaoran made their way upstairs, followed by a desperate guardian of the seal. As Sakura opened her door, she noticed something different. Perched on her windowsill was a large, black and white eagle.
"Kawaii!" Sakura squealed and slowly approached it.
Surprisingly, the bird did not fly away. It allowed Sakura to stroke it's back. This bird was black with a prominent white tail, shoulders, thighs, forehead, and crown.
"What is an o-washi (Steller's Sea Eagle) doing here?" Syaoran asked. "They're only found near water."
"Konnichiwa O-washi-san" Sakura greeted her new friend.
Kero was silent.
"What's that it's holding?" Syaoran asked and pointed to something in its talons. It looked like a rolled up piece of paper.
Syaoran went to take the object from the bird but it squawked, disapprovingly. Syaoran backed away and the eagle held up the object for Sakura.
"Is this for me?" she asked
The eagle squawked favourably.
"Arigatou O-washi-san" Sakura beamed and accepted the object. She unrolled it to find that it was a rather thin envelope made of a greenish parchment. On the front, written in sapphire-blue ink was the name and address:
Kinomoto Sakura
The Yellow Bedroom
832 INOKUCHI-KO
TOMOEDA
555-0055
JAPAN
"It's a letter." Sakura announced bluntly. There was no return address or stamp.
"A letter?" Syaoran questioned, rather appalled "For who?"
"For me."
"Why would an O-washi be delivering a letter?" he asked, trying to see the envelope more closely.
"Look." Sakura said and handed the envelope over to Syaoran. "It says my name on it."
Syaoran examined the letter, checking for anything unusual.
"Should I open it?" Sakura questioned, looking for guidance.
"No, I sense an aura around it. It might be under a spell."
"What do you think Kero-chan?" She asked and looked over to her guardian beast. She was surprised to see that, leaning against the doorway, was her brother. He looked amused, listening to the two talk about the mysterious envelope. Could he know what was inside? Kero just looked nervous.
"Go ahead and open it Sakura." Kero answered.
"How do you know it's safe?!" Syaoran argued.
"I know because it's from Umitenshi."
"Oh…" Syaoran said, now understanding, and fell silent. He looked over at Sakura to see her reaction, but of course, she was just clueless.
"Umitenshi?" she voiced. She remembered hearing this word while listening to her guardians and oni-chan arguing the other night. Was this what they were quarrelling about? This Umitenshi…?
"Open the envelope and read it out Sakura." Kero repeated. Sakura hesitated. Would this letter answer her questions? She slowly turned the envelope over so that the flap was visible. A small blue wax seal bearing a small fish kept the envelope closed but was easily opened and Sakura pulled two sheets of paper out and read aloud:
UMITENSHI SCHOOL OF WESTERN MAGIC Headmistress: Hiragi Chihiro
Kinomoto Sakura e
We would like to inform you that you are still welcome to attend Umitenshi School of Western Magic. If you wish to accept, please find enclose a list of all necessary books and equipment. Date of the Year Placement Test is on the same page.
Term begins on 1 April. We will be honoured if you will join us this year. We await your answer by 25 March.
Keigu
Deputy Headmaster Kobayashi Akira
Sakura was confused. Umitenshi was a school? But she was already attending a school here in Tomoeda.
"Sakura has already been invited to attend Umitenshi?" Syaoran asked after hearing the letter read out.
"Of course!" Kero responded. "This same O-washi has came to this room with an acceptance letter at least twice now, but I didn't want her going until after all the card capturing business. Now, I think she's ready."
"Wait a minute!" Sakura cried, "What is this Umitenshi school? What are you guys talking about?"
"Umitenshi is Japan's school of witchcraft and witchery." Syaoran explained, "Many students attend it in order to learn different spells and magic."
"How come I've never heard of this school? How do you know about it Syaoran-kun?"
"There is also a school of witchcraft and witchery in China."
"But why do you want me to go to this school, Kero-chan?"
"Think about it Sakura! You have your cards and are a really powerful sorceress, but you don't really have anything to improve your magic. If you become a witch, you will be able to learn all sorts of spells! And besides, you'll be able to meet a whole bunch of new people with magic."
Sakura thought about everything she just heard. She didn't want to leave all her friends here in Tomoeda, but this school did sound interesting. She still had many questions but this one stuck out the most: "Would Syaoran-kun also be able to attend Umitenshi with me?"
Kero looked surprised, but he smiled and answered: "Sure, if he has been accepted to attend the school of western magic in China."
Sakura looked over at her love, not really sure of what to expect. Syaoran was also surprised about her suddenness but answered clearly. "The Li family doesn't really attend the school in China because we are all sorcerers and we learn all our magic from our ancestors, but those with magic are always invited to attend. When my letter came, I was busy here in Japan but my mother would have given me a choice on if I wanted to go or not. My cousin, Li Hsi-chuen, is a teacher there."
Sakura wasn't really sure of Syaoran's answer. Did it mean that he would go?
"If you want to go, Sakura." Syaoran continued, "Then I do too. I will follow you anywhere."
Sakura had mixed feelings about her decision. Kero-chan was looking at her expectantly. Did he want her to answer now or something? And what about Syaoran? She sorta wanted it to be their decision together, not only hers. Syaoran probably noticed her uncertainness because he had begun speaking again:
"I will talk to my mother again and see what she thinks. There's still three weeks before you have to reply, you can think about if you want to go."
Sakura smiled appreciatively, then looked at Kero, who was now sitting on Touya's shoulder. He looked a little dissatisfied but nodded his agreement. Touya just plain didn't do anything.
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Oyasumi-nasai = Good night
Konbanwa = Good evening
Arigatou = Thank you
E = To
Keigu = From
Hehe... I've been working on this story for quite a long time but I wanted to wait for the 5th Harry Potter book to be released before putting it on Fanfiction.net. I'm really excited about this fic. I think it will turn out well. I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter. If you read my other stories, you should know I don't update as quickly as I hope to and if you haven't, you know now. Like every other fic-writer, I do enjoy reviews so please write me your opinion. (Good or Bad.) Thank you very much.